This brioche bread resembles those soft milk buns…but with no milk at all, but water.
Yes, these delicacies are prepared with no dairies without losing any taste. We’ve been eating them for breakfast, and the aroma they spread when I warm them is so inviting and comforting.
Let me tell you in advance it is not a quick recipe. It is not difficult, but the dough needs to rest for three times. I kneaded the dough in the late morning and baked them in the evening. The morning after I just warmed them for a few minutes. My husband ate them with fruit jam, but I like them just as they are, with no add-ons.
This recipe, called in Italian as Water Brioche, has some variations. I made a personal (healthy) choice: use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter or lard. The result? A light bun you would bet is prepared with milk with just 135 calories.
Let me tell you the (only) annoying part of the recipe: mix the oil with the dough. Just for a chemical reason, it is going to be difficult to have the oil absorbed by the dough. I used my bread machine for the whole kneading, including this step. You just have to stop it once in a while and try to unify the dough with a wood spoon or spatula. It is worth it for the result you’re going to have.
- 250 g of flour
- 125 g of water
- 1 Tbsp of dried baker's yeast
- 50 g of sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 30 g of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ vanilla bean
- icing sugar for topping
- Put the flour, yeast, water, sugar and vanilla beans into the bread machine bowl.
- Knead for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add salt and olive oil.
- Knead until well combined, stopping the mixer and helping the dough with a wood spoon once in a while, as the oil isn't absorbed easily.
- Cover the bowl and let it rest until doubled in size.
- Just touch the dough to deflate it, put into another bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 3 hours.
- Take the dough and divide it in 10 equal pieces.
- Form a ball with each one of them and put on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.
- Let them double again (about 1½ hour).
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake them for about 20 minutes or until colored.
- Sprinkle some icing sugar on top.
- Buon appetito!
Have you tried the last rise in the fridge overnight? So they can be baked fresh in the morning?
Hi Janis,
No, I haven’t tried it. Did you?
Thanks 😉
Is it one teaspoon or tablespoon of yeast?
Hi Hoy,
1 tablespoon of dry yeast. Thank you for pointing this for me.
🙂
Am eating the bread that I baked with 1 teaspoon of yeast. Started at 11am this morning with the dough, baked them at 8pm. Turns out fantastic! I think 1 tablespoon would’ve made it too yeasty. Thanks for the recipe!
Just saw the time stamp, in case you’re wondering I’m in Australia. Good day!
WOW! I have not been there yet, but Australia has always been on my plans ;-).
Here in Italy we’re preparing lunch now 🙂
Hi, what did you use for vegan “egg wash” to make the tops golden like the ones in the photo? Thank you!
I really don’t know because I haven’t tried with gluten free flour.